Nethbane
' Nethbane i's a title in the Legends of Destiny series that took place more than forty years before The Rebirth Trilogy. It centers around the character Kuma and his alternate title of the same name during the War of Unrest. It was released on November 8, 2013 through Lulu.com. The front cover art featured Kuma on the back of a wyvern named Olorphynx. The back cover had the depiction of a phoenix. Web description: It is more than forty years before the events of the Rebirth Trilogy. The peace in Gaia begins to corrode as rumors spread that the skirmishes in the north lands are developing into war. Understanding that this could ultimately threaten their home, the lore drakes rise from their elusive lands to bolster the numbers of their allies in an attempt to stop this trouble from growing and sickening the world. As a member of the ruling family, Kuma holds power and a high position in his society, but even he can only do so much on the home front. Determined to support his newly throned cousin however he can, Kuma chooses to leave his home and go to war alongside his close friend Aevren, a path that will bring him head to head with heartache and a realization of who he truly is. As the world spins toward its fate, he will unknowingly become one of those heroes whose name banishes the shadows and gives hope, even as he deals with the darkness in his own soul ... Plot Summary The story begins with Kuma's mother, Mona, on her deathbed. She had contracted a rare illness that was lethal to lore drakes, which caused her to perish in front of her husband and young son. Confused and angry by the loss even as a young adult, Kuma developed a strong devotion to his family. While eating a meal with Aeka and Okugi, Kuma hears of trouble stirring in the world and threatening the peace in Genkai. Kuma undergoes a rite of passage called the Trial of One, earning his golden armband of nobility. Following this rite, he accompanies his father, uncle, aunt, and cousin to Hidden City, an ancient and largely unknown location in the Jade Realm. He is taught a number of new skills by Aeka, including how to access and channel his aura to augment certain abilities, such as speed and sensitivity to magic. He also researches swordmaking, desiring to have a weapon of his own, and is given a gift of River Sinews by his aunt, Na Qeya, to use when he crafts such a weapon. After spending a few weeks in Hidden City, the party returns to Sheng Hi Nai, where Okugi dies as a result of his disease. Zhu is named Emperor in his place, and Kuma forges the sword Blaydeneon. Aevren is scheduled to leave Genkai and head north to Dun Ki Ahng with two units of lore drakes, prompting Kuma to claim a place with the unit as a warrior advisor of the throne. After being in Kura-Cora for a time, he and Aevren are in a group of scouts that witness an attack made on one of Dun Ki Ahng's outposts by some Oari. They follow the Oari to their city, Cor'aga, and try to speak with the leaders there to gather information. After stumbling across Norman Oodgoodleman in the forest, who tells them that he has seen Amanagir in the area, the lore drakes return to Cor'aga and sneak into the city. They gain access to a secure part of the city called the Keeper's Realm, where they spy on the Oari queen, Cor'iria, conversing with an "ally" named Najirara. Najirara is revealed to be a Neth, to the shock of the lore drakes. Despite the magic they used to hide themselves, Najirara's Amanagir guards detect them and pursue them through the city. Kuma and Aevren act as a distraction for the Amanagir while the other lore drakes escape, after which they are forced to steal a sporrey in order to leave Cor'aga safely. When they ride the sporrey near enough to Dun Ki Ahng, they are assaulted by dragons, which capture Kuma and take him to the lair of an overlord named Phantomfire. Kuma is questioned about his involvement with the Oari, then is released from the dragon's mountain and turned over to Dun Ki Ahng. Aevren and Kuma are ordered to seek out Najirara, who has been creating conflict throughout Kura-Cora. They follow him to Siege, where their unit is betrayed during a battle in Glacier Pass. This results in the death of all the lore drakes present, except for Kuma, who grieves deeply for the loss and is driven into a rage-fed hunt for any Neth and their allies. He finds and slays an unknown number of his enemies, finally tracking down Najirara in the Raven Citadel and slaying him in a confrontation. Following another raid on a fortress of Neth allies, Kuma is too weak physically to go any further and is consumed by his guilt and grief. He collapses and has a vision where he speaks to Blayde, in which the god forgives him and tells him that he has chosen Kuma as his Hero. He gives Kuma instructions, after which Kuma wakes and seeks out an army of lore drakes under the command of Rendo. Rendo had also received a vision from Blayde and was expecting Kuma, telling him of how badly the war has been going. Kuma is dubbed the "Nethbane" by a number of soldiers in the camp, a title derived from the large number of Neth he's killed. Acting on behalf of Rendo and his allies, Kuma embarks on a number of quests to help turn the tide of the war, including hunting down a wind demon named Dral . He is sent with a lore drake advisor named Naimbam to spy on and try to help a captured city called Lamir, though their efforts are mostly in vain and Lamir is destroyed by the Neth. Kuma allows himself to be captured by Amanagir so that he can infiltrate a high security prison camp called Kijinen Omu, where he endures abuse at the hands of his captures until he can find and free Menalla, an elf commander who had been captured some time earlier. Kuma brings Menalla back to Rendo, helping to repair the damaged trust between the lore drake and elven armies. Kuma also tracks a Dreluthera named Kundulus, following her into the Netherworld and engaging her in a fight, in which he slays her. Before her death, Kundulus taunts him with the revelation that there is a traitor among the lore drakes, a very grievous thing. Kuma is led to a way out of the Netherworld and returns to Rendo's camp, where they realize that the traitor spoken of is actually Naimbam, who in turn is not a lore drake but a fire demon. After Kuma battles and dispatches Naimbam, he is given the wyvern Olorphynx and sent to eliminate Lasalata, a task which leaves him frustrated and outmaneuvered several times. Lasalata forces him to battle a nightmarish image, which turns out to be a twisted embodiment of Aevren, angering Kuma and ressurrecting the despair and pain he felt before speaking with Blayde. Thanks to Blayde's assurances and Olorphynx's devotion, Kuma is able to find the strength to move forward with his task, following Lasalata to Eternia. Rendo's armies have gathered in New Eternia, and a massive army of the Neth has formed against them in the ruins of Old Eternia. Rendo tells Kuma of a pre-emptive strike being planned by the lore drakes and their allies, in which Kuma is able to use the city's subterranean ruins to slip past many Amanagir and gain access to the surface city of Old Eternia. He finds Lasalata summoning a powerful spell in a kind of temple, concluding that it is the beginnings of a new Dakora plague that will destroy Rendo and all of his soldiers. Kuma attempts to attack Lasalata, but the Dreluthera fights him with the plague spell. Kuma is protected by Olorphynx, who takes the lethal blow for him. Kuma then fights Lasalata briefly and is snared by a spell cast by the Dreluthera to try and break him. Kuma finds strength in his faith and calls upon Blayde, seemingly mortally stabbing Lasalata with Blaydeneon and disrupting the Dakora spell. Lasalata is burned by spirit flames that erupt from the sword and dies, leaving his armies to abandon Old Eternia. Kuma goes to Olorphynx's body and thanks him for saving his life, then realizes that the wyvern is still alive and had survived the spell, which must only be lethal to lore drakes. Kuma continues to help Rendo in the war for the next several years, after which he chooses to go to Cardmov, rather than return home on account of painful memories. The story ends with Kuma arriving in Cardmov and being welcomed by Cenme Duforthia. Category:Books